Against the Void
by Cruen07
Summary: A battle between a distant Imperial outpost and Yuuzhong Vong scouts reveals that Lieutenant Luke Skywalker is a member of the Imperial Navy. When Vader abandons the hunt for the Death Star Plans to rescue his new found son, the fate of the rebellion and the galaxy is forever altered.
1. Chapter 1: Final Voyage of the Rapier

Hey guys and gals, I've been kicking this idea around for a while and Rogue One gave me the push to finally write this story, as always feedback is appreciated.

Chapter One:

The Final Voyage of the _Rapier_

Luke

The galaxy was an old place. Over the centuries a thousand civilizations had risen and fallen. Though the infinite wonders and horrors experienced as these people discovered, invented and destroyed in the endless cycle of history shook the very foundations of civilization at the time eventually they, as all things do, faded to the annals of history. As is so often the case history became myth and in time the myth too was lost. On this day a long forgotten myth had returned to bring ruin upon the galaxy. Leviathans of the deep void had come to Helska and only a lone star destroyer stood between this most distant outpost of the empire and complete annihilation.

The Imperial-class Star Destroyer _"Rapier"_ drifted listlessly as flame and precious oxygen was vented into the hard vacuum. In the places were the hull was not open to space it was scorched and pockmarked from the endless battering it had endured. Twisted and ruined metal marred the clean and orderly lines the craftsmen at Kuat drive yards had given it as it was shaped into being. The entire command tower had been ripped away along with its senior officers and its shield generators. The sight of this all dismayed Acting Lieutenant Commander Luke Skywalker as he docked his tie fighter with the rest of the fighter wing in the bay of the Rapier. Or perhaps it was acting commander now. The casualties of the last ten days had been so catastrophic and the temporary promotions so prolific that he wasn't even sure what rank he had anymore these days. The only thing that was sure was that he was the Commander of Air Group by default for as long as he lasted. Outside of that information was limited and frequently wrong. He had no idea what was going on with the attached Ground Forces Brigade they had deployed to the surface or really what the state of the ship was. Maybe though just maybe their latest attempt to break the enemy blockade had been more successful.

Luke grimaced at the thought of the enemy and the hands off nature of the automatic docking system gave him more time than he really wanted to reflect on their situation. They had arrived mere days after the _Rapier_ had taken up its station. Back then he had been nothing more than one among the countless promising graduates of the Imperial Academy. An exceptional pilot and a mediocre officer, he had jumped from sub-lieutenant to what most would consider to be the absolute highest rank he would ever achieve over the course of ten days. There was an old toast for young officers that came to mind "To bloody battles and bloody victories" it went. A sentiment only those who had never been in battle could come up with.

The Empire had certainly been handed its share of bloody battles at Helska. Shipping had suddenly stopped arriving at the same time that communication with the wider galaxy had been shut off. For three days merchants and shuttles had been sent to contact the nearest naval base, before they had returned with help, if they had even made it that far, the enemy had shown its face. What could only be described as a leviathan had appeared from unknown space. It was absolutely enormous, almost a time and a half larger than the _Rapier_ and completely organic, it had been attended by several smaller ships and a significant fighter wing. They called themselves the Yuuzhan Vong in their broadcasted demand for surrender. The blubbering and weak hereditary governor had capitulated immediately leading to the Rapier and the Vong to combat drop troops on top one another at the same time in an attempt to control the capitol. Afterwards the ground forces had been on their own. The only rumors had filtered their way back up to the ship had been of strange and terrible organic monstrosities.

In the last engagement the leviathan and the _Rapier_ had traded blows at close range until finally, the Vong had been forced to retreat. A victory but at great cost Luke thought to himself as he finally exited his Tie-Fighter. "I saw the bridge was gone" He said to the Deck Chief "Is the XO commanding out of the emergency bridge?". The crew chief looked dead on his feet and spared only the briefest of moments for Luke, "Reserve bridge is gone, dunno who is in charge now".

In a move that would have gotten him chewed out at the academy, Luke simply sat down on the floor out of the way of the bustling deck crew and pilots and closed his eyes. He needed a moment to think things through but when he nearly fell asleep the second he sat down he realized that he felt as tired as the Deck Chief looked. He stood up again and began to move to keep from falling asleep. He picked primary damage control as the most likely place to start. It was only at secondary damage control that Luke found a semblance of order. "Who is in charge?" Luke asked.

An Ensign he did not recognized looked at Luke's rank insignia, it seems like your are sir!"

Luke was floored and scared in a brand new way, something that he had thought was no longer possible. He was able to set that aside and hide the shaking in his voice enough that people continued to obey him. "Well...hm, we...well secondary damage control is now the command center. I need a full status update, did we break through the communications jamming?" All the junior officers and enlisted personel looked from one to another, a couple shrugged and shook their heads out of ignorance. "Well check!" Luke exclaimed. A moment later their was a disbelieving gasp as an ensign checked, they had gotten through. "Quick!" Luke shouted "Before we lose this chance! Send this message!". He took a moment to steady himself before saying "This is Acting Commander Luke Skywalker to any nearby Imperial units. The Helska Picket is under heavy assault from an unknown alien species. We cannot withstand another assault. We will defend the planet and the innocents on it to the last man to buy you time to get here." He looked around the word, nobody ever wants to hear the words "Hold to the last man" but no one was really surprised to hear them and it was reflected in their faces. Unprofessionally he added "Help us, you are our only hope!"

Vader

Nobody enjoyed being summoned to an emergency meeting, least of all a Lord of the Sith. Vader reflected that while a lowly janitor or storm trooper might not have to deal with the problems discussed at such a meeting, whenever he was summoned the emergency in question was one that only he could handle. Then again, what was life without a few challenges. He had grown tired of chasing rebel ghosts, even the recent battle at Scarif had been a disappointment. Perhaps this would be exciting.

Governor Tarkin's suite on the Death Star was palatial Tarkin enjoyed commanding from it. At least the meeting room was devoid of decorations. It was functional and nothing more. Vader found Tarkin alone waiting for him, he felt the prospects for this meeting go up. Tarkin began immediately upon seeing Vader. "Time is of the essence Vader so I will keep this brief, Admiral Motti will take charge of the interrogation of the Princess and the hunt for the Death Star plans. We are under attack". Though he was hidden behind his mask Vader felt difficulty in hiding his surprise. Tarkin continued without waiting for a response. "We received a distress call from the Helska System. Helska is one of our most distant official outposts". Tarkin keyed the holographic display to play the message. A man clearly too young for the rank he bore across his chest came into view. He was blond with intelligent eyes looked as if they were almost swallowed up by the dark circles around him. He said "This is Acting Commander Luke Skywalker to any nearby Imperial units. The Helska Picket is under heavy assault from an unknown alien species. We cannot withstand another assault. We will defend the planet and the innocents on it to the last man to buy you time to get here." The young officer looked around before adding "Help us, you are our only hope!".

Tarkin shut down the display before the message could repeat. "Luke Skywalker is a recent graduate from the Imperial Academy. If enough of the chain of command has been neutralized to thrust him into command the situation is dire. From the data enclosed we have determined that the enemy they face is indeed a new species of alien. You are to take a task force and demonstrate that the imperial flag flies over all parts of the galaxy, no matter how distant". As Vader turned to leave Tarkin added "Another matter, Skywalker is from Tattoine, intelligence thinks he is a distant relative of the Jedi Anakin Skywalker. We are unsure how he slipped through the nets and into the Imperial Navy, he is to be brought in for questioning".

Vader felt as if the floor had disappeared beneath him. Luke was his son not a distant relative, he didn't understand how it was possible but the force told him with complete certainty that it was true. A thousand memories and emotions from a time long passed flooded through his mind. Rage was an old friend but now he felt...protectiveness? His son, the only thing left of Padme was alive. His son was in danger. HIS SON WAS IN DANGER! Rage, love and fear coalesced into a singular determination, the worthy purpose he had been seeking for twenty years. His son was in danger and he would tear the galaxy asunder before he let his son perish. He turned his head back slightly and said "As you wish" he said with deadly calm. As he left dozens of objects he had not even realized he had been levitating came crashing to the ground.

Luke

The engines had come back under rough control allowing the Rapier to maintain its position between Helska and the Vong. Beyond that the situation went down hill. As hours had gone by it was clear that the leviathan had been damaged enough to keep them at bay for a time. Limited rest shifts were put into action. Not everyone was needed to work at every moment because there was little that could be repaired with their mean. Out of the nearly 50,000 officers and enlisted sailors that they had deployed with only a bare handful were left. More than half of the ship compartments had been vented to space and most of the weapons were offline. Fighting on the surface was continuing but from reports it seemed that Imperial forces were holding their own. Major Heskel had taken command and was actually the senior officer in the System but was wise enough to leave command of the ship to the people who knew how to use it. His only orders were to prevent further landings of ground forces at all costs.

It was a task easier said than done. The sensors were trashed so thoroughly that Luke had been forced to post sailors with binoculars around the ship to keep watch while his sole sensor array was focused on the Vong ships. Luke and his ad-hoc command team had come to the conclusion that there was only one way to stop the next attack and it could only be done once. When the leviathan was seen moving, the remaining crew of the _Rapier_ prepared for their last stand with heavy and dutiful hearts.

At secondary damage control Luke gave the necessary orders to set the _Rapier_ underway. He didn't address the crew with an inspiring speech. All knew that they were sacrificing themselves. It suddenly no longer mattered what inspiring words anyone had. They had done their duty to the fullest extent and that knowledge was enough for some. For the others, there was nothing anyone could offer that could satisfy them. Instead Luke ordered that the Imperial Anthem was to be played over the intercom. Luke began to sing the chorus of the Anthem and across the ship the sailors joined him in song. It was more than a song or a pledge of allegiance to these men and women, it was a prayer that held thousands from disparate together. All conflicts were forgotten as the sailors of Empire united for the final voyage of the _Rapier_.

Vader

The Imperial Royal Fleet glided gracefully out hyperspace in perfect formation. With confidence in the Death Star's defenses so high, Vader had been able to take nearly the entire fleet protecting it. 33 Star destroyers and dozens of support ships had been detached for his task. It was a force capable of meeting any challenger to Imperial power.

On the bridge of the Devastator anticipation gripped Darth Vader. It was a great relief when the sensor readings came in. The enemy was moving in for the kill on Helska but the _Rapier_ was still there to meet it despite its damage. "Open a channel to the _Rapier_ " Vader ordered. "Order them to retreat to the protection of the fleet".

A great tension began to release throughout his body until an officer reported "My lord, we cannot reach them! They are still on intercept course with the alien flagship, its possible that they cannot see or hear us!".

Vader almost screamed, he had lost everything before, he would not be denied again, he would not lose his son twice! "Advance with all speed Admiral, if the _Rapier_ is lost then your life is forfeit. Open fire, begin engaging the enemy immediately!"

The admiral whose name Vader had not yet bothered to learn gulped audibly "My lord, the range is far too great, we cannot hit any single target at this great of a range!"

Rather than use the force, Vader picked up the admiral by the throat and roared "FIRE A FULL PATTERN BARRAGE! IF WE CANNOT TARGET DIRECTLY THEN FILL SPACE WITH SO MANY LASERS AND MISSLES THAT THEY CANNOT AVOID THEM!" before tossing him clear across the bridge.

Luke

As the distance between the leviathan and the _Rapier_ closed and the star destroyer took increasing damage, Luke saw the most beautiful sight imaginable. With no warning a wall of green fire came screaming out of the void. The smaller Vong ships simply disappeared from existence before their very eyes while the leviathan's shield collapsed entirely. At the same time one of the watchmen assigned with binoculars to a view port came sprinting in with a beet red face. "The Imperial fleet is here, dozens of Star Destroyers, thousands of fighters, we are saved!"

Luke acted quickly, "reduce speed and change course, we are rejoining the fleet!".

A ragged cheer was cut short when a rating reported "They have knocked out the helm, we are stuck on a collision course and still accelerating!"

Looking at the screen Luke could see that they had little time left "Brace for impact!" he commanded. The shaking of the ship subsided as the Vong realized their intent and began to take evasive maneuvers taking their guns out of line. It was not enough, a minute passed, then two. Time began an immeasurably slow crawl.

Then finally the tip of the _Rapier_ pierced the heart of the leviathan. A deafening screech filled the _Rapier_ as metal twisted and warped at the impact. Men and women who were tightly secured with straps were ripped from their seats and crushed into walls and consoles. Luke himself felt as if he was being pulled apart by the forces trying to remove him from his bindings. Larges pieces of the Rapier simply disintegrated from the impact but enough of the super-structure remained intact for the two vessels to become lodged together. Luke did not notice any of this as he blacked out.

As Luke regained consciousness the first thing he noticed was the taste of blood, he had bitten straight though his lip. Then he noticed the pain. He had been dislodged from his crash bindings and was spread eagle on the floor. All the other sailors in Secondary Damage Control were dead. Amongst the bodies were strange, humanoid warriors that could only be the Vong. They were strange beasts with twisted appearances straight out of a nightmare. There were perhaps forty of the hulking aliens packed into the room like so many cords of wood, they were poking and prodding at everything from the dead to the computers. As Luke propped himself up against the console the Vong noticed that they had left a survivor. They hissed and gurgled in their strange language as they menacingly approached him. He braced himself once more for the end but all froze as the lights went out. More hissing and gurgling was cut short by the sound of heavy, mechanical breathing in the dark.

A beam of crimson extended to beat back the darkness. A lone figure clad ebon armor stood in the doorway, towering even over the hulking Vong. It was the legendary Darth Vader. One of the alien warriors screamed and charged only to be cut down by an almost dismissively casual sword stroke. The rest of the dozens of Vong followed suit. The charging hoard broke like water upon a rock as they died at Vader's feet. Then Vader began to advance and the Vong began to die horribly in addition to quickly. They were burned, chopped and broken at various turns. One warrior was thrown up to be impaled by the jagged and broken ceiling. Another was simply pulled in two with Vader's hands. In the end, none could stand against the lord of the Sith. Once the Vong were dead, Vader sheathed his lightsaber and knelt by Luke. He said in his mechanical voice "Son, I am so proud of you. Rest, for I will not let any harm come to you". Luke mind was swimming with questions even as he passed into darkness.

 _Stay tuned for chapter 2: The Family Name_


	2. Chapter 2: The Family Name

**Hey guys and gals, i apologize for the weird appearance of this chapter. Both my word processor and this website are giving me grief.**

 **Just to lay things out, this story starts at the time of the first movie and will incorporate most elements from the time period. Han, Chewie, the droids and all the rest you know and love will be involved. While I am remixing elements and bringing things in from the au I will not be dumping all the things that made you like Star Wars in the first place.**

 **Please enjoy and as always feedback is the thing that motivates me to write for you. (Although I don't want to come off as one of those jerks who says "review me or I won't write!". I like writing and will do it anyway, feedback just makes me enjoy it even more.)**

Chapter 2: The Family Name

Leia

"Bring her back up!"

With a keening whine, The operating table Princess Leia Organa was strapped to rotated her away from the gleaming and sharp instruments of torture she had been exposed to and situated her in a loosely upright position. She took a moment to collect herself and take a deep breath. When she opened her eyes the face of Admiral Motti was inches away from hers. He was a rather unimpressive man whose breath smelled strongly of garlic. If the pain hadn't been enough to make Leia grimace, than the smell of his breath would have. Motti's face had once been an impenetrable mask. After what seemed like an eternity of fruitless questioning the mask was gone entirely. Instead his face was twisted with frustration and barely concealed rage. He shouted " When I took over this interrogation I thought that possessing more patience than Lord Vader would be an asset in convincing you to cooperate. This clearly has been an error. I give one more chance to tell me about the Death Star plans and the Rebel base before I end the burden you put on me and my career."

The interrogation room was fairly large, having been intended for multiple concurrent interrogations to be housed there. While Leia was the only prisoner in the chamber, it was still fully staffed and guarded by Imperial Navy personnel and Stormtroopers. One of the lieutenants assisting in the procedure spoke up with as much deference as he could muster. "Sir, Governer Tarkin gave specific orders that..."

"Kriff Tarkin and his orders!" Motti snarled at his subordinate. He turned back to Leia "well?".

Leia gave the demand the appropriate consideration and spat in his face. Motti lost it at that moment and grabbed a scalpel off the a tray of surgical tools before lunging at Leia. Several attendants shouted at him to stop an a couple even lunged to stop him but none could reach him in time. Leia squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away. The blades bite never touched her. In fact, after several disbelieving moments she realized that all the room was eerily silent. She peeked out with one eye to see that everyone in the room was frozen in place. She looked around wildly to see who had caused that. Panic gripped her has she fearfully wondered if Darth Vader had returned. It was not so, though she could only turn her head she was the most mobile person in the room. Then a thought so wild she wondered if she was insane for thinking it occurred to her. Could she be the one doing it. With all her will she focused on the idea of Motti tripping and falling on the scalpel. When she did Motti unfroze and tipped forward. The impact jammed the scalpel straight into his chest. He looked up at Leia with fearful eyes and said "Jedi!" Before he lost himself in his own pain and potential death. Leia's mind was racing with a million questions but she instinctively knew she had to seize the moment. With but a though the bonds holding her to the operating table burst open.

She fell to her knees on the floor as she slid off the table. She was tired, almost exhausted. The interrogation session had only been going on for a short while so she guessed it must be her new powers. Before she exhausted herself completely she grabbed a blazer from one of the guards and shot everyone in the room. Once that was done she collapsed again. Though the weight of the deaths she had just caused was significantly lighter after being tortured by them repeatedly it was not something that she could push out of her mind easily. At this point she was nearly dead on her feet, there was no way she could do anything like that again. She needed a stealthy escape.

With herculean effort she forced herself up onto her feet once more and staggered through the exit door. She found herself in a long hall of detention blocks. There were several storm troopers patrolling about. Though the sound proof nature of the torture chamber had bought her the element of surprise briefly, she had seconds before she was spotted.

The solution hit her like a brick. With a burst of laser fire she blew open the waste disposal grate and dived in before anyone could react. She tumbled over and over again as she rolled down the shoot. Thankfully she landed on a particularly soggy and soft pile of garbage that lessened her impact. The smell was nearly enough to make her pass out. She did not even want to think for a moment about the what they were throwing away on the detention level. With the last of her strength she willed the maintenance door open and staggered through. She was out of options now. She could only move at a snails pace, propping herself up along the wall as she walked. She could not fight and the new smell that was following her prevented her from sneaking. She pushed forward with only the motivation to die on her feet keeping her going. She heard a door open ahead of her and she and down along the wall, bracing the blaster on her knees. Instead of the hammering steps from the boots of stormtroopers, a lone pair of padded footsteps reached her ear. From around the corner came an elderly man in brown and tan robes. "It couldn't be!" She thought to herself. Her mind was playing tricks on her in her depleted state.

Obi-wan Kenobi stepped calmly towards her and said in a kind voice "Are you lost child?".

Not believing her eyes she said, "You can't be Master Kenobi!" and fired her blaster. Though she aimed true, a saber rose up to meet her laser.

Just as calmly he continued to speak "You recognize me, that makes things easier. I received your droids and your message. I was in the process of escaping myself when I felt your awakening in the force. I have a hired smuggler waiting with a fast ship in a nearby hanger. Come with me."

She shook her head "I can't even stand!"

He nodded his understanding "I can carry you" with that Leia felt herself rising in the air. With the adrenaline starting to fade, her body finally forced her to pass out.

* * *

Vader

Vader's flagship was making all speed to Courascant. It had left the remainder of the formerly royal fleet to mop up the Vong at Helska and secure the neighboring sectors. As Vader was the second in line to the imperial throne, any fleet that he was in command of became the official royal fleet unless the emperor had also left the capitol to command a fleet, something that had not happened in a long time. Vader found it easy to contemplate minutiae like that give his mind a brief rest from thinking about his current situation.

The truth was that Vader was well and truly caught in a bind. His son was alive and recovering from wounds that should have killed him, a fact for which he was endlessly thankful. His son existing at all raised endless questions and created numerous and dangerous problems. Padme was dead, that much was clear from the fact that Luke had been raised by relatives but Padme had just as clearly died later than he had expected. How long had Padme lived? What had killed her if not him? These questions burned in his mind.

He had pulled up Luke's personnel jacket to acquaint himself with his progeny. Luke had been a profoundly mediocre student in the naval academy. Instructor after instructor had given him poor grades for theory, academic learning and other, more abstract subjects. Only his practical skills had saved him from being washed out. In simulations and in the field Luke showed himself to be a prodigy at whatever he attempted. Knowing the family history it was easy to infer that the force was guiding Luke through things he didn't understand. In fact if one did not understand the force connection Luke's life would look like an unbroken string of phenomenal luck. He had applied at an early age and been accidentally accepted by one of the deans in charge of admissions even though he had been denied automatically by a computer. Extenuating circumstances had been listed in a dozen cases of academy infractions and it turned out that Luke was the sole survivor of no less than three disastrous incidents before being assigned to the Rapier. Now he was the sole survivor of the Rapier as well. It seemed as though Luke was being saved for a purpose by the force. That was a thought that made the dark clouds of hate gather once more within Vader. He too had been the victim of destiny once and he had hated it with every fiber of his being ever since.

The fascinating thing was that despite the interest the force had shown in Luke, he did not show any aptitude in controlling it. All members of the imperial military were discreetly and repeatedly tested for force ability. Those that showed promise were transferred to alternative programs were they could be disposed of or molded to serve the Empire. The results were clear, while Luke was inseparably linked to the force, Luke would almost certainly never control it.

All these things lead to the same overarching problem. How much did the Emperor know? What did the Emperor intend to do. The fact that Luke had turned up decades later and right under Vader's nose suggested that the Emperor did not know about Luke but the Emperor always knew more than he let on. If the Emperor attempted to make Luke his new apprentice, Vader would most likely perish. If Luke was deemed unworthy of training than he would most likely be disposed of. He had to find a solution in between. He had to protect his son.

His musing was interrupted by the sharp beep of his communicator announcing an incoming call. "Speak" he commanded.

A rather nervous young voice said "my lord, Dr. Heigk says that they are ready to wake the patient up."

Vader acted with haste. "I shall be there momentarily"

* * *

Luke

Luke Skywalker was catapulted by an unknown force out of his dreamless sleep and shot up in bed. Severely disoriented he took a great deal of time to take in his situation. Several IV needles were inserted into his right arm, he was in a hospital. An empty syringe in the hands of a doctor suggested an injection, perhaps what had woken him up so suddenly. At the foot of his bed was a giant clad in black armor standing perfectly still with only the steady and pronounced sound of his assisted breathing indicating that he was alive. That brought the memories back, Helska, the Rapier, the Vong and...son?

"Leave us" Vader commanded. Vader's personal medical staff knew their overlord well enough to clear out with suitable haste. There was only one medical station in the infirmary, once the attendants had left Luke was alone with the legendary Dark Lord of the Sith. They stared at each other in silence for a time that seemed to stretch into eternity. Finally Vader said "Luke, I am your father".

Luke blinked and then propped his elbows up on the rails of the medical bed, shifting around to find a more comfortable position and to buy a moment. He finally said "I have so many questions that I don't know where to begin "you clearly know more than do so..." he trailed of and said rather lamely "...care to start?"

Vader folded his arms across his chest. Though his suit obscured much he almost seemed uncomfortable to Luke. "Your name is Luke Skywalker, you come from Tattooine and were raised by Owen and Beru Lars. Owen is my step-brother. A lifetime ago I used the name Anakin Skywalker."

Luke's eyes widened. "You are Shmi's son! They just said I was an orphan rescued by a friendly traveler. They said they named me after her."

Vader's stance visibly softened. "I shall consider this when I deal with them. I need to know was the traveller a real person?"

"Yah" Luke replied "an old man by the name of Ben Kenobi he..."

"WHAT!" Vader howled. All softness in his stance disappeared instantly. He lunged forward and gripped the rails on Luke's bed. The plasteel rods visibly crumpled beneath his mighty grip. "YOU WILL TE..." he paused and released the rails before taking a step back. Perhaps they really were related if Vader was making such a visible effort to reign in his legendary temper. "The traitorous Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi gave me the injuries to put me in this suit. He then..." Vader paused, looking for the right words "separated your mother from me. I thought she died that day. Obi-Wan may have killed your mother later to strike at me. Do you know where he is?"

Luke hesitated before saying "he lived around Anchorhead on Tattooine before I joined the academy. He tried to stop me from joining. When I got in he left. I guess he was worried I would lead the empire to him."

Vader seemed to settle down a bit "Good my son, he is a master of manipulation. I am relieved to hear he failed to sink his claws deep enough into you.

That gave Luke an opening "you said 'when you deal with them' I don't how involved you think Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were in all this but they gave me a loving home and helped get me started on my path. If I really am your son please don't hurt them."

Vader considered that for a long time before saying "I am sure they are victims of Kenobi's machinations rather than accomplices. We will keep a sharp eye on them but they will not be arrested."

That seemed to be as far as Vader was willing to go at this moment. Desperate to talk about something easier to wrap his head around Luke asked "How many other survivors are there from the Rapier?"

"Only you" Vader replied. Upon seeing Luke hold his head in his hands Vader said "from the records I have discovered that you acquitted yourself well above the demands of duty. I am proud." Apparently sensing how little his words effected Luke's mood, he tentatively reached out a gloved hand and gripped Luke by the shoulder "You stood against an unknown and overwhelming enemy and succeeded, where others failed and fell you stepped up and led. In the end you succeeded in saving an entire system. You should be proud of your sacrifices and accomplishments."

Oddly enough that did seem to help a bit. He didn't cry at any rate though he fully expected to later when he was alone with his thoughts. Finding that this topic was even worse, Luke retreated to the previous one. "My mother, what was she like? Who was she?"br / br / "Your mother was...your mother...Padme..." Vader struggled with the words. It was a profoundly odd thing to see the Dark Lord of the Sith struggle with something so human. It was a difficult thing to reconcile with his legend and with the creature he had seen emerge at the mention of Kenobi. Whatever words he was reaching for were lost as they felt the lurch of the ship dropping back into real space. Vader's guard came back up instantly. "Your mother will have to wait. We must prepare you for meeting the Emperor."

Luke sat dumbly for a long moment before exclaiming "The Emperor wants to meet with ME?!"

 **Stay tuned for chapter 3: New Homes**


	3. Chapter 3: New Homes

Against the Void

Chapter 3

New Homes

Luke

The Galactic Empire ruled over countless subjects living on endless planets that ranged from the strange to the wondrous. Among the these many worlds Coruscant, now known as Imperial Center was the uncontested crown jewel of the Empire. A trillion souls crowded into complexes of apartments, markets and opera houses that rivaled the greatest mountains across the galaxy in size. With them they brought the best and the worst of every culture. In the greatest melting pot known to history, anything could be found and anyone could be anything.

On this planet, were a million people could be crowded into one monumental hab-spire, the Imperial Palace demonstrated the wealth and power of the Emperor not only with its beautiful gold wrought architecture but with its empty space. Rather than leaving Darth Vader's star destroyer on a shuttle which to Luke seemed the only way to reach the planet, the star destroyer simply descended into the palace space port. They glided over the endless city and settled into one of three landing fields in the palace space port that could accommodate such craft. From the belly of the ship a great Over 100 meters wide extended down to the ground. Luke and his father descended alone the great ramp alone as those on the ship seeking to leave and those on the ground seeking to board waited. Luke could feel a thousand questioning eyes watching him as he took advantage of his new found position at his fathers insistence. Waiting for them at the bottom were eight royal guards in their unmistakable crimson robes. They stood four to each side of a land speeder as a servant of some sort in the most beautiful clothes Luke had ever seen held the door of the speeder open for them.

It was the bows the imperial guards gave him as he entered the speeder after his father that did him in. It was all simply to much, while they had spent a good deal of time in transit he had been asleep for most of it. In his mind it seemed as if only hours ago he had been the most junior of officers in the vast imperial military. Another cog in the wheel destined for an unremarkable and unremembered life. Now he was... he didn't know what he was! On the last step of the stairs on the speeder before the door he froze as his mind went blank. When he was finally vaguely aware again of his situation he turned in horror to see all the thousands of people watching his every move. Thankfully the traditions of the the imperial navy are deeply ingrained into those who manage to graduate and instinct kicked in. He performed a sharp salute to the attending imperial guards. Before fleeing into the speeder, hoping that people would be fooled into thinking he was at least purposefully making the choices they were witnessing. He settled into a luxuriously comfortable seat across from his father..

"What was that?" The Dread Lord of the Sith asked.

Luke shifted with discomfort that had nothing to do with his seat. "Instinct" he said.

That apparently was the right thing to say as Vader visibly eased. "Instinct is more reliable than most other guiding forces but see that it does not rule you."

When Vader said no more Luke was left wondering whether that was an important lesson that he would be tested on. He had known his father for a few scant hours and truly had no idea what to expect from the legendary figure. Such thoughts were quickly swept aside however as the speeder began to race through the place. It seemed as though palace district was a more appropriate name. The grand buildings that housed the galactic government formed vast landscape of chasms and peaks that was punctuated by art and monuments that nearly brought tears to Luke's eyes to behold. In the back of his mind he wondered at how many planets had been stripped of their entire mineral wealth to provide the gold, gems and other rare materials necessary to create such a sight. It took quite a large amount of time to reach the throne room itself. Even after they had been deposited on the appropriate landing pad it had taken almost fifteen minutes of walking to reach their destination. Throughout it all Vader spoke not a word. The impenetrable mask gave Luke little clue as to his father's thoughts and he was left wondering how he was supposed to behave. They were whisked past a long line of supplicants awaiting their moment with the ruler of the galaxy and the doors of the throne room opened before them. The contrast between the throne room and the rest of the palace was jarring. The throne room was simple, spartan even. The Emperor, for no other could be sitting upon the throne, was wrapped in a simple black robe. Everything about him though shrieked power and danger.

Dead eyes fixed upon Luke from within the wrinkled and sunken sockets. "Skywalker..." the voice was dry and raspy as if the throat it had come from had not been quenched with water for years, even so it carried a kind of transfixing power with it that rooted Luke to the spot in which he stood. "That is a name I have not heard in some time..." Each word was measured and the space between them seemed to be an almost endless void. "After all these years to find you in the most distant corner of the galaxy. Your existence is a rare surprise". The features of his face twisted into a snarl. "There is nothing I despise more than a surprise". Much to Luke's relief the snarl left his face. "And yet this is an unparalleled opportunity". He paused before asking carefully "Do you know what you are?"

Luke could see Vader visibly tense beside him and he felt what he could only describe as an overwhelming presence wash over him. He could feel every fiber of his being coming under scrutiny. A catalog of events from his life both important and seemingly mundane flashed before his eyes as if they were being displayed and reviewed. Not trusting his words he shook his head.

A flash of what might have been disappointment seemed to appear upon the Emperor's face. "No of course not, how could you" the Emperor smiled revealing perfectly white teeth, "You are the son of the greatest Jedi who ever lived"

Despite all that had happened Luke had not lost his capacity to be shocked to the core. Without thought he turned to his father. "You..."

"Yes" the Emperor said. "Once upon a time. Yet you cannot follow in his footsteps, you are incapable. But as one door closes, another opens. A different path will be yours to walk, one that no other has. You shall be my heir."

"WHAT!" Cried Vader breaking his long silence

"What?" Luke said in almost a whisper.

"Silence!" The Emperor held up a hand. "Yes" the Emperor said. "Tell me boy when I am named what emotion comes most readily to you and the people you know?"

Luke considered the question carefully. After some time he ventured "respect".

The Emperor leaned back and steepled his fingers together. "A safe answer though not untrue, especially among the officer corps. The correct answer though is fear. Creating and ruling a galactic empire has required hard choices, ones that I have not shied away from making. Instead of running from the fear I have embraced it, molded it into a tool I may use. You will serve the Empire in this time of sedition and chaos by giving the people what they crave the most, someone to believe in".

"But why me?" Luke asked

"I have spent more than thirty years shaping your father into the man he is today. In all the ways that matter I am your grandfather. The Skywalker name is bound inexorably to the Imperial Throne." He held up his hand once more to stave off questions. "Go now, servants are waiting to take you to your quarters where your needs will be attended to. Take the rest of the evening to collect yourself, we shall begin your instruction in the morning".

It was all Luke could do in his overwhelmed state to keep up with the servants sweeping him away from the throne room. Deep in soul the idea that the Emperor could in anyway be considered his family felt almost like he had swallowed the most vile of poisons.

Vader

Luke was not the only one being swept away by events. Vader was deeply confused and more than anything else this terrified him. As soon as his soon had left the room he stepped forward. "Master, never once have you made mention of an heir..."

"Remember your place Vader" Palpatine hissed as anger brought life to his normally dead eyes. "Make no mistake if he had shown even a tenth of the power you possessed before your..." disgust now washed over Palpatine "...crippling, he would have been your replacement. Now I must make use of him a different way".

White hot rage coursed through Vader's soul, he could feel the adrenaline being carried through his blood to every inch of his body. How dare this vile creature threaten his son?!

"Control yourself Vader" Palpatine said with a dangerous neutrality. "Rest assured that your son is not in danger, yet. Though as the new Crown Prince of the Empire he must of course be protected at all times by a detachment of Imperial Guardsmen. As he is too weak to defend himself from even a novice force user it must be an impenetrable and absolutely loyal force".

The meaning was clear, he had delivered the ultimate hostage to Palpatine. Yet there had been no other choice than to appear when summoned and the rational part of his brain told him that this really was the best outcome he could have realistically expected. He tried a different tact. "The Death Star is fully operational and ready to be deployed. What need have you of a public face to inspire loyalty when you have been planing to rule through fear alone?"

Palpatine smiled a cruel, viscous smile "Worry not, I have a plan. To start with we will need an event to introduce the Empire to its new Prince. No..." he corrected himself, "...its new hero. We will need an event the likes of which the galaxy has never seen and one which they shall never forget".

Leia

The hospital room was plenty warm but the steaming cup of hot coco Princess Leia Organa held in her hands was what was really needed to finally warm up that place deep inside her that had been so deeply cold since she nearly killed herself with exhaustion using the force for the first time. She sat upright on the side of her hospital bed wearing a disposable medical gown and with a fussy medical droid tending to her. Across from her on the side of the opposite bed was a the wizened old man so many had died to find. General Kenobi, last of the jedi did not at first seem all that impressive, just an old man in what looked to be even older brown robes. A lifetime of training in the royal court of Alderaan had taught her to asses people accurately in most ways and it did not take her long to detect the man he had once been lurking underneath the facade he put up.

Between the two was Mon Mothma, the woman who led the greatest part of the rebellion. She stood, her hands clasped between her back as she caught Leia up to speed. "...and General Kenobi insisted that the debriefing had to wait until you were seen to, something we obviously don't have time for.". She gave the old man a reproachful look. "So blame him for not being in a bacta tank right now.".

Leia shook her head, "Its fine, this is important. I want to thank you properly for my rescue".

"We are all thankful for the safe return of one of our own," Mon Mothma said with the deep sincerity that had inspired the rebellion showing in her eyes. "But it brings up another important matter. You have seen the Death Star, you know what is out there waiting for us. The hour is late, it is time for you to leave the shadows and stand with us. The galaxy needs the Jedi once again. Where is your ward, is he close to becoming a Jedi Knight yet?"

Obi-Wan's face became grave "The hour is later than you think, my ward fell into the clutches of the Empire, I have searched for some time but there I have yet to find a trace of him."

Mon Mothma's shoulders sagged. "Then it was all for nothing, the Jedi are no more. The galaxy is a darker place for it."

Obi-Wan stood, "No, there is another" he said as he looked directly at Leia.

"Leia is too old, the Jedi would never have accepted her for training!"

"Leia bolted upright as well "What!"

The other two exchanged a meaningful look and Obi-Wan said "The Jedi clung to their ways no matter what the reality was and look what that has brought." He faced Leia directly. "You were adopted, Bail Organa was a good friend of mine and we were both present at your birth, the day your biological mother died, Bail took you into his care and I took your brother."

"I can't be adopted" Leia stated hotly "I am the Princess of Alderaan, I do not have a brother"

Mon Mothma objected vehemently "This has been secret for twenty years,we agreed not to discuss this without consulting one another, Bail should be here for this!"

Obi-Wan shook his head firmly "No, our secrets have done little but cause us harm over the years, Leia is our last hope, we cannot fail again. She must be armed with the truth, the whole truth. Leia, your father was my pupil, his name was Anakin Skywalker..."

"OUT!" Mon Mothma ordered at the top of her voice, driving the attendants who had been minding their own business on the far side of the medical bay. She motioned for silence from the other two until the room was cleared of all potential witnesses. "If we must discuss this, we cannot take any chances of this information spreading."

Obi-Wan took that as his cue to keep going "Your father was the greatest of the Jedi, a true hero of the republic and my best friend. But he was at times a lonely man, one who had the burden of defending the galaxy laid on his shoulders. In his efforts to lessen the toll this took upon him, he found a confidant in the form of a charming and idealistic young politician whose rising career took him straight to the top levels of power, Senator Palpatine."

"No!" Leia said in a voice with a note of uncertainty in it.

The old man pressed on, "By the time we realized what Palpatine was, it was too late for Anakin, too late for all of us." He paused then, as his eyes watered up and his word failed him.

Mon Mothma filled in the gap in the conversation "That was when we formed what would eventually become the Rebel Alliance. Bail Organa is a great man, he raised you. Your family loves you and is still your family no matter who gave birth to you."

Leia cast her eyes downward, "I know"

At that moment an Alderaani soldier poked his head through the door, "Mon Mothma, I know you did not want to be disturbed but you should turn on the view screen in there. The parade is starting."

"What Parade" Obi-Wan asked.

Mon Mothma grimaced, "The Empire is holding the grandest parade in its history to reveal the new prince they have pulled out of thin air to his adoring public. Computer, On." She said "View Galactic News Network Channel 1"

A holographic screen appeared before the trio displaying the news feed and both Mon Mothma and Obi-Wan gasped with horror. The feed showed a close up on the face a young man with sandy blond hair and deep blue eyes. The text along the bottom written in bold stated "HAIL PRINCE LUKE SKYWALKER!" It only took a moment for Leia to piece it together "brother..." she whispered softly as her own wave of horror crashed upon her.

Luke

Prince Luke Skywalker of the Imperial Empire stood atop a hover platform that was making its way down the Great Imperial Causeway for all to see. Resplendent in a new white dress uniform remarkably similar to that of a Grand Admiral and standing with a formal bearing that he had acquired from his military training with a dozen Royal Guards in formation behind him, he truly looked like a royal figure to all who saw him. The Causeway was two hundred meters across and ran for endless kilometers through the most important districts of the capitol city. The imperial military was also on display this day. Walkers and tanks by the brigade were lined up in parade formation along Luke's route and among the vehicles entire legions of storm troopers raised their fists in salute to him. Not to be out done, the imperial navy had sent most of the home fleet to attend. Dozens of Star Destroyers hung in the sky above the causeway and thousands of TIE Fighters flew in formation in circles above and below the Causeway. Witnessing this display of might were millions of citizens from the surrounding city, they waved from the windows of the endless skyscrapers and were packed in tightly behind barriers along the Causeway in viewing areas. They screamed their adulation for the empire and their excitement for their new prince. Little did Luke know that only those deemed sufficiently loyal had been allowed through the security check points. In addition to them, dozens of news drones circled about Luke's platform capturing the moment for the galaxy to see.

Luke could have done without the cameras. Without them he would not have had to worry about concealing his thoughts nearly as much. The last week had been a whirlwind of intensive medical care and hasty lessons from adjuncts in how he should act. He only seen his father twice since they had arrived and the Emperor once, all of them for a very brief time. In truth he had yet get his feet properly underneath himself. He'd had barely a moment to think about what was happening to him. It wasn't that he was opposed to his new role, far from it. In fact he was a little surprised by how eager he felt for it all. He actually was loving the cheers from the crowd they fulfilled a desire for attention he had not realized he possessed. The adulation, the power, it all made him feel wonderful. The problem was the caution they had beaten into him at the Imperial Naval Academy was nagging at him more and more every day, demanding that he search for a catch or some other sort of downside.

Suddenly a distorted noise penetrated through the roar of the crowd. The icy grip of fear came over him as he realized that he recognized what it was. He looked to the sky and searched among the ships above them desperately, he had heard the cascading sound of a hyperdrive core experiencing a critical failure before. He saw that one of the Star Destroyers ahead of him began to list to port. Just as he tried to warn everyone the ship ripped itself apart as the middle third tore into hyperspace with a deafening noise. The cries of adulation turned to screams of fear as all eye turned upward. Most of the remaining parts began to crash down into the city but the worst was yet to come. The biggest piece of debris, roughly a quarter of the original ship crashed into its sister ship knocking it out of orbit as well. An entire Star Destroyer and most of a second fell into the endless city. Skyscrapers thousands of stories tall fell into a cloud of dust and debris that exploded away from the epicenter, never to be seen again. The platform Luke stood on shuddered and fell to the floor of the Causeway as rubble flew past them. They landed softly enough that no one was hurt. Hundreds of Storm Troopers bowled over fleeing civilians and formed an impenetrable perimeter around Luke almost the moment he touched the ground. An AT-AT standing almost above them was split in half by a large chunk of rubble. A hand on his shoulder spun him around and he found himself face to face with a Ground Forces General. The noise was such that even when the general leaned forward and screamed into Luke's ear he could barely make out "...have...safety...Lord...Lord...orders...".

Looking into the General's eyes Luke realized that they were all looking to him for leadership. A crimson gauntlet grabbed his harm and a royal guard began to drag him towards safety. With a forceful shove he threw the royal guard off of him. Luke then pushed his way through the line of storm troopers. He ran a few steps before turning back and waving at the troops to follow him. The storm troopers and royal guards began to run after him. Satisfied he had been understood, charged into the oncoming dust cloud. All the while, broadcast sensors that should have cut the feed at the first sign of trouble obeyed their new orders and focused all cameras on the Prince as he dashed into the mayhem.

Stay tuned for chapter 4

The Day the Sky Fell


End file.
